Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryOctober 18, 2017

House Speaker Richard Corcoran joined other GOP lawmakers for a meeting Wednesday with business owners in Tampa, during which he delivered a stern message to Congress: Get behind Donald Trump and his proposed tax cuts. “The time to act is now,” the Land O’Lakes Republican said at a downtown Tampa news conference. “We’re done with […]

Danny McAuliffeOctober 11, 2017

In Florida, there’s currently no uniform way for veterans to prove their former military service. But after today, state lawmakers are one step closer to changing that. HB 107 cleared the Local, Federal and Veterans Affairs House Subcommittee unanimously Tuesday. The bill, if implemented into law, would require the Department of Highway Safety and Motor […]

Mitch PerryOctober 10, 2017

A Florida House committee advanced legislation Tuesday that would replace a statue of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith with one of Mary McLeod Bethune in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. The House Government Accountability Committee passed the proposal offered by Daytona Beach Democrat Patrick Henry (HB 139) with just one dissenting vote (from Jacksonville Rep. Jay […]

Bill RuftyJuly 13, 2017

Republican State Rep. Neil Combee of Polk City faced a terse crowd largely of Republican county and city officials during a noon address Thursday to the Polk Tiger Bay Club. Many legislators are facing folks back home upset with cuts to local governments and for an amendment to the state’s constitution, which if passed by […]

Scott PowersJuly 11, 2017

Kissimmee may be part of the heart of Florida’s tourism district, but three local lawmakers told the Kissimmee/Osceola Chamber of Commerce Tuesday why they did not openly support VISIT FLORIDA during the political wars of this year’s Legislative Session. Republican state Reps. Mike La Rosa and Neil Combee and Democratic state Rep. John Cortes described […]

Bill RuftyJune 21, 2017

Republican Legislators could find themselves challenged for election next year … by Republican candidates, Polk County Commissioner George Lindsey, a Lakeland Republican, confirmed Wednesday. In an interview before his address to the Polk Tiger Bay members, Lindsey said what he described as legislators’ attacks on home rule and local government, has many even in the […]

Mitch PerryMarch 23, 2017

A bill in the Florida legislature that could arm teachers with guns in private religious schools passed the House Judiciary Committee Thursday. The legislation, sponsored by Polk City Republican Neil Combee (HB 849), would carve out certain religious private schools from Florida law that prohibits anyone except law enforcement officers from carrying guns in K-12 schools […]

Jim RosicaMarch 9, 2017

A bill that would let voters fix mismatching signatures on their vote-by-mail ballots so they can be counted has cleared its second committee. The House Government Accountability Committee OK’d the bill (HB 105), carried by House Democratic Leader Janet Cruz of Tampa, by a unanimous vote on Thursday. It would require supervisors of elections and […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 22, 2017

On Wednesday, a Florida House panel took the baton from a Senate committee, addressing a problem-riddled Auditor General’s IT audit of the Agency for State Technology. The House Government Operations & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee discussed a January Auditor General report about the Agency for State Technology and State Data Center operations. Despite the findings of that […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 3, 2017

The number of lawmakers prepping for another run keeps on growing. State elections records show dozens of members of the state House and Senate have filed to run for re-election in 2018. Many of those are incumbents who faced little-to-no opposition in 2016, while others ran hard fought battles to win their spot in the […]

Tag: neil combee
Mike Johnson. Image via AP.

Richard Corcoran: ‘We’re done with talking heads,’ Congress must OK Trump’s tax cuts

Florida-issued veteran ID clears first subcommittee

House committee advances bill to replace statue of Confederate general with that of Mary McLeod Bethune

Neil Combee takes on tough room in Polk County

Mike La Rosa, Neil Combee and John Cortes defend attacks on VISIT FLORIDA

Polk GOP Commissioner warns Republican incumbents may face strong challenges

House advances bill allowing guns in private religious schools

Vote-by-mail ballots fix clears last committee

Agency for State Technology audit scrutinized by Florida House panel

More than a dozen lawmakers file for re-election in 2018